Felix leblanc



FELIX LEBLANC, or sr. ADOL1HE, MANITOBA, CANADA.

I SKATE-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 12, 1919,

Application filed November 5, 1918. Seria1No.261,293.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FELIX LnBnANo, of the town of St. Adolphe, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, have invented certain skate fasteners and the object of the invention is to provide an appliance for releasably securing a skate, such as a hockey skate, to the foot and to construct the device in a simple and inexpensive manner and so that it can be adjusted to various sizes to accommodate the wearer and also so that it will allow of the free bending of the leg at the ankle joint.

With the above object in view the invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter more particularly described and later pointed out in the appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 represents a side view of the appliance on the foot.

Fig. 2 represents an enlarged detailed perspective view of the appliance removed from the foot and attached to the skate.

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged vertical sectional view through the appliance, the section being taken in the plane denoted by the line XX Fig. 1.

In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

1 represents the ordinary form of hockey skate comprising the runner 2, toe plate 3 and heel plate 4, these plates being permanently secured to the runner in the usual way and being provided with screw openings 5 which permit of the skate being screwed to the sole and heel of the boot in the ordinary way.

7 represents a boot of which 8 is the sole and 9 the heel. The skate according to my invention is secured to the boot by an attachment in the nature of an adjustable metallic foot rack bolted to the skate and fastened to the foot by fastening straps. The attachment is now described in detail.

10 and 11 represent a pair of forward angle plates supplied with more or less horizontally disposed rearwardly extending side extensions 13 and 14. The angle plates are both fitted with adjusting openings 15 whereby the said plates can be fastened such as by bolts 16 to the toe plate of the skate, the bolts passing through the toe plate openings 5. By providing several openings in the angle plates it is obviously possible to adjust the angle lates in and out to accommodate the various widths of feet.

17 and 18 represent rear or heel angle plates fitted in" both the horizontal and upstanding members with sets of adjusting openlngs 19 and 20. The said angle plates are secured to the heel plate by bolts 21 passed through the openings 19 and 20 and the openings 5 of the heel plates.

To the rear angle plates I secure by means of the bolts 22 and 23 adjustable side plates 24 and 25 each of which is supplied with a forward extension 26 and a rear heel extension 27, the forward extensions being fastened by bolts 28 and 29 to the extensions 13 and 14, while the rear extensions are bowed inwardly and are fastened together by a bolt 30. Several openings are made in the ends of the rear extensions to provide for an adjustment at this point.

To the upper ends of the side plates 24 and 25 I pivotally secure leg plates 31 and 32, the leg plates being formed with inwardly curved rear extensions 33 and 34 having their ends adjustably fastened together by a bolt 35, the bolt being passed through adjusting openings 36 provided in the extensions.

The connected ends of the leg and side plates are more or less circular in form and are dished outwardly as best shown in Fig. 3 and the fastening between the parts is accomplished by a rivet 37 located centrally of the dished portions. By so dishing or offsetting at these points of connection I provide room for the ankles of the wearer and the pivoting in this location allows for the bending of the foot at the ankle.

The device is attached to the foot by adjusting the front and rear angle plates to accommodate the width of the foot, adjusting the rear extensions to span the heel and leg and adjusting the side plates 24 and 25 to bring the swinging joints at the sides to the height of the ankle joint and afterward fastening at the toe by an adjusting strap 38, at the instep by an adjusting strap 39 and at the bottom of the leg by an adjusting strap 40. These adjusting straps are preferably of leather and embody buckles so that they can be tightened up any required amount.

Although I have shown this appliance as used for fastening the skate to a boot, still it will be understood that it 'is not necessary that one Wear a boot to use the article as the skate could be strapped to a inocassin felt boot or other foot covering.

When skating it Will be seen that the leg plates will swing backWa-rdly and forwardly to accommodate ankle movement.

What 1 claim as my invention is The combination with a skate, of front and rear pairs of angle plates adjustably secured to the toe and heel plates of the skate upstanding side plates adjustab-ly secured to the rear angle plates and provided With forward side extensions connected to the front angle plates and With rear heel extensions adjustably secured together, upstanding leg plates pivotally secured to the upper ends of the side plates and provided With rear extensions adjustably fastened together and adjusting straps attached to the front angle plates, the side extensions and the leg plates.

Signed at WVinnepeg, this 10th day of October 1918.

FELIX LEBLANC. In the presence of- G. S. R XBURGH, K. B. WAKEFIELD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cent: each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

